South West Energy Hub secures £5m for home energy improvements

An energy hub has secured £5m to make vulnerable households energy efficient.

The South West Energy Hub will work with Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council to deliver the improvements.

The £5,031,652 will be used to install energy efficiency measures that will help to raise their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating to Band C.

Wiltshire Council welcomed the support and said it would make a difference to 241 people in need in the region.

The chosen houses will be upgraded to be more energy efficient

Households, including social rent, low income and those living in areas without mains gas - both rented and owner-occupied - will benefit from improvements helping to reduce their bills.

Upgrades include wall and roof insulation, as well as new low-carbon heating systems, thermostats and room heating controls.

The South West Energy Hub is hosted by the West of England Combined Authority and funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

South West Energy Hub programme manager Jon Rattenbury said the funding is "welcome news that will make a huge difference to people across the region".

"We look forward to working with our partners in Swindon and Wiltshire to deliver sustainable home upgrades that will make homes warmer and address fuel poverty," he said.

'Energy price rises'

Swindon Borough Council leader David Renard said the move would reduce residents' and the council's environmental impact.

"With the climate crisis and steep rise in energy price rises, it has never been more important to support residents wherever possible in reducing their energy bills, making their homes warmer," he said.

Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for public health, Ian Blair-Pilling, said: "This new grant will make a big difference to low-income families, not only saving them on their energy bills, but providing them with greener, warmer homes.

"We are looking forward to collaborating with the Swindon and South West Energy Hub teams to reduce fuel poverty and help families live more comfortably at a challenging time when the cost of living is rising."

The upgrades will be delivered to the chosen households across Swindon and Wiltshire by March 2023.